Ebola 'Achilles heel' discovered

27 May 2015 03:00 AM

Ebola has a critical "Achilles heel" that could stop the virus spreading, scientists have discovered.

Research on mice has shown that the virus can only gain entry to host cells by attaching to a specific protein. If it cannot access the protein, called Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1), it loses the ability to infect and kill its victims.

Blocking this pathway could potentially provide 100pc protection against the virus, the research suggests.

Researchers hope more efficient ways of targeting NPC1 can be developed.